Often without knowing it, we have constructed language in daily use that promotes an “us and them” narrative of division. Though it was within the context of the “War on Terror,” the Department’s 2008 guidance about lexicon is important to review as it has bearing on groups like ISIL. It instructs the Department to ensure terminology is “properly calibrated to minish the recruitment efforts of extremists who argue that the West is at war with Islam.”

Among the report’s recommendations is a call to “reject religiously-charged terminology and problematic positioning by using plain meaning American English.” American English is to replace “religious, legal and cultural terms like ‘jihad,’ ‘sharia,’ ‘takfir’ or ‘umma.’”

Presumably, one step further than replacing Islamic terms with English ones is to excise words associated with Islam altogether, especially when the user of the words is a jihadist allegedly declaring allegiance to ISIS in the name of Allah.

The omission of the words and thus the beliefs of our jihadist foes from the public record – even if in this case corrected – will prove to be a continued sin for our nation, as will doubling down on the Muslim Brotherhood-inspired CVE agenda as it appears our Republican Congress is wont to do in the wake of this latest attack.

These policies will ensure that justice will never be served for the victims in Orlando, let alone the thousands of other victims of jihad across this country and throughout the world.